Airtel set to start Sri Lanka operations

[x-pert]

COLOMBO — Come 2008 and the burgeoning Sri Lankan mobile phone sector will be seeing a prominent fifth player — the Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel.
With an investment of $200 million, Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt) Limited would begin its service in the island ‘early next year‘, its CEO Amali Nanayakkara said.

"We are in the process of setting up the network, and getting the necessary approvals from the regulatory authorities. The process, which began in the middle of the current year, should be completed by early 2008," Nanayakkara said.

Asked if Bharti Airtel Lanka had run into any problems, as the services were yet to start though the investment was announced with much fanfare in mid 2007, she said there were no problems.
"All new mobile operators would have to go through the set procedures and processes we are going through. It’s routine," she explained.

On Bharti Airtel’s USP in a small but overcrowded market, she said as the fifth player, it had to be better than others to make a mark.
"Our focus would be on giving the fullest coverage and displaying technical superiority. How a mobile phone operator connects with customers is another key area of opportunity we are looking at," she said.

Bharti Airtel, which was only recently adjudged the best mobile operator in the world at the World Communication Summit, would help bring down the cost to the Sri Lankan consumer while providing new and exciting value added products, Nanayakkara said.

Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt) Limited, which is a subsidiary of the Bharti Airtel Limited, will be giving Sri Lanka 2G and 3G services in collaboration with China’s Huawei Technologies. The Bharti-Huawei deal is worth $ 150 million.

"We see substantial growth prospects in Sri Lanka where the mobile phone subscriber base is over 6 million users," said Bharti Airtel’s executive director, Sanjay Nandrajog.
Very soon, half the 20 million people of Sri Lanka may be having a mobile phone, given the rate at which subscriptions are growing, sector sources say.
In the next three years, Bharti Airtel would be covering 70 per cent of the island. The idea is to fully cover the south and central parts of the island and also the east, which are outside the conflict zone.
Restoration of peace in the northern district of Jaffna will lead to a boom in mobile phone sales as the people of Jaffna tended to be high users when services were there. The Tamil speaking district had recorded the highest rate of growth in subscription when peace existed between 2002 and 2004.

However, Bharti Airtel Lanka has an uphill task ahead, because currently 60 percent of the mobile market in the island is with Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telecom Malaysia.
The rest of the market is shared by Mobitel, a unit of the state owned Sri Lanka Telecom; Tigo, a part of Millicom International Cellular, and Hutchinson Telecom.
Bharti Airtel may well bring mobile phones to the rural areas of Sri Lanka as it is planning to do in a big way in India.

"We want to be the most admired rural brand in India by 2010," Manoj Kohli, President and CEO, had said in Chennai recently.
The $2-billion service provider’s customer base in India is currently 54 million and the plan is to increase it to 125 million by 2010, Kohli said.
The company plans to pump in $3.5 billion in the current financial year (2007-08) for its operations in India.
Sri Lanka is Airtel’s first overseas venture but plans are afoot to spread its wings to some neighbouring countries, and those in East Africa and the Middle East, Kohli said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/December/business_December767.xml&section=business&col=

Who is this Amali Nanayakkara ? Anybody know who this is?

 

[fazaal24]

Cool....EARLY 08 ne...!

Thanks for the info machan

 

[ereshthush]

thanks

 

[tckrockz]

wow maxaaa....airtel apu gaman mama sim ekak ganwa aniwa

 

[tckrockz]

Cool....EARLY 08 ne...!

Thanks for the info machan

podak parata gihin balapan ban airtel kanu thiynwada kiyala hehe dan mun full ready wenna athi launch karana

 

[nabil]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/December/business_December767.xml&section=business&col=

Who is this Amali Nanayakkara ? Anybody know who this is?

makes me feel safer with airtel when cumin to know that atleast sum of the profit will remain in sri lanka

Bharti Airtel, which was only recently adjudged the best mobile operator in the world at the World Communication Summit, would help bring down the cost to the Sri Lankan consumer while providing new and exciting value added products, Nanayakkara said.

Best in the world?? WOW!! India sure is very innovative

In the next three years, Bharti Airtel would be covering 70 per cent of the island. The idea is to fully cover the south and central parts of the island and also the east, which are outside the conflict zone.

I wont b surprised when that happens

However, Bharti Airtel Lanka has an uphill task ahead, because currently 60 percent of the mobile market in the island is with Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telecom Malaysia.

Dont u worry u will always be my primary network provider

Some knowledge from me: Airtel is owned my the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.. he is the 5th richest guy in the world

 

[x-pert]

Some knowledge from me: Airtel is owned my the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.. he is the 5th richest guy in the world

Yip. He is the Chairman and the Managing Director of Barti Enterprises

 

[tharindu143]

Ela ela....

 

[anarkalee]

ela

 

[rash87]

thnx 4 d info X-pert!!
Do u knw anything abt d charges???

 

[nabil]

thnx 4 d info X-pert!!
Do u knw anything abt d charges???

according to unconfirmed sources sms is at 75 cents n calls priced at Rs. 3. incoming free

 

[x-pert]

thnx 4 d info X-pert!!
Do u knw anything abt d charges???

Still no idea machang.

Will be cheap as I've heard in many places. But they need to cover their investment of 150 Billion US $. + the Admin costs. So they can't provide a very cheap service. But still they might provide the best competitive rates to SL.

 

[Thenura]

tnx tnx for da info.....

 

[life]

I saw in a News paper, that CEO of Mobitel saying Airtel wont make a big pressure on them.

 

[life]

It's not Praba's son
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080106_05

 

[x-pert]

It's not Praba's son
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080106_05

Wrong thread neda

 

[life]

Wrong thread neda

Sorry wenna ona

 

[nabil]

I saw in a News paper, that CEO of Mobitel saying Airtel wont make a big pressure on them.

he wishes

 

[kaavya]

Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka to be headed by top Unilever director (Sri Lanka)

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/December/business_December767.xml&section=business&col=

Who is this Amali Nanayakkara ? Anybody know who this is?

Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka to be headed by top Unilever director (Sri Lanka)

* September 2nd, 2007
* 6:30 pm

The newly set up Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka unit had a hired top Unilever official to head its operation in the island, Lanka Business Online learns.
Amali Nanayakkara directed of Unilever Ceylon’s personal care division and had headed its foods division earlier.

Nanayakkara was a pioneer female director on the Unilever Ceylon’s board.

Bharti Airtel Lanka is hoping to start commercial services in the first quarter of 2008 and is hoping for a 70 percent network coverage with an investment of around 200 million dollars.

Sri Lanka mobile industry is dominated by Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telekom Malaysia which has a 60 percent share of the market.
The rest is shared between Mobitel, a unit of fixed operator Sri Lanka Telecom; Tigo, a unit of Millicom International Cellular and Hutch, a unit of Hutchison Telecom.

http://wirelessfederation.com/news/category/tigo/

 

[x-pert]

Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka to be headed by top Unilever director (Sri Lanka)

* September 2nd, 2007
* 6:30 pm

The newly set up Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka unit had a hired top Unilever official to head its operation in the island, Lanka Business Online learns.
Amali Nanayakkara directed of Unilever Ceylon’s personal care division and had headed its foods division earlier.

Nanayakkara was a pioneer female director on the Unilever Ceylon’s board.

Bharti Airtel Lanka is hoping to start commercial services in the first quarter of 2008 and is hoping for a 70 percent network coverage with an investment of around 200 million dollars.

Sri Lanka mobile industry is dominated by Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telekom Malaysia which has a 60 percent share of the market.
The rest is shared between Mobitel, a unit of fixed operator Sri Lanka Telecom; Tigo, a unit of Millicom International Cellular and Hutch, a unit of Hutchison Telecom.

Thanks Kavya.